Time synchronization system, time master, management master, and time synchronization method

Abstract

A time synchronization system includes time masters and a management master. The management master includes a management master priority requester that transmits to each time master a priority request frame and a management master highest priority processor that transmits, to a time master holding a priority that is the highest among priorities of the time masters, a highest priority notification frame for changing the priority to the highest priority. Each of the time masters includes a time master priority responder that transmits to the management master a priority response frame after receiving the priority request frame from the management master (and a time master highest priority processor that changes the priority thereof to the highest priority when the highest priority notification frame is received from the management master. The grandmaster transmits, to each time master, a time notification frame for synchronization of a time of the time master.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A time synchronization system comprising:
 time masters to hold time information; and 
 a management master to manage the time information and send, to one of the time masters, notification of a highest priority, the one of the timer masters holding a priority that is highest among priorities of the time masters, wherein 
 the management master includes
 a management master priority requester to transmit, when the time synchronization system starts operating, to each of the time masters a priority request frame requesting a priority that is set for the each of the time masters in advance, and 
 a management master highest priority processor to transmit, to the one of the time masters holding the priority that is highest among the priorities of the time masters, a highest priority notification frame for changing the priority of the one of the time masters to the highest priority, 
 
 each of the time masters includes
 a time master priority responder to transmit, after receiving the priority request frame from the management master when the time synchronization system starts operating, to the management master a priority response frame as a response including the priority stored in the each of the time masters, 
 a time master highest priority processor to change, when the highest priority notification frame is received from the management master, the priority of the one of the time masters to the highest priority, and 
 a time master best master clock algorithm (BMCA) processor to execute processing of comparing the priority of each of the time masters and the priority acquired from the time master other than the each of the time masters and selecting, as a grandmaster, the one of the time masters holding the priority that is highest among the priorities of the time masters, and 
 
 the grandmaster (i) maintains the holding of the highest priority after the time synchronization system starts operating and (ii) transmits, to each of the time masters other than the grandmaster, based on the time information held in the grandmaster, a time notification frame for synchronization of a lime of at least one of the time masters other than the grandmaster. 
 
     
     
       2. The time synchronization system according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 simple time masters to hold the time information, 
 wherein each of the simple time masters compares a priority of the each of the simple time masters and the priorities acquired from the time masters and at least one of the simple time masters other than the each of the simple time masters and transmits the time notification frame. 
 
     
     
       3. The time synchronization system according to  claim 2 , wherein the priorities that are set for the simple time masters are higher than the highest priority that is settable for the time masters. 
     
     
       4. A time synchronization system comprising:
 time masters to hold time information; 
 simple time masters to hold the time information, each of the simple time masters being to (i) compare a priority of the each of the simple time masters and priorities acquired from the time masters and the simple time master other than the each of the simple time masters and (ii) transmit a time notification frame; and 
 a management master to manage the time information and send, to one of the time masters, notification of a highest priority, the one of the time masters holding a priority that is highest among the priorities of the time masters, wherein 
 the management master includes
 a management master priority requester to transmit, when the time synchronization system starts operating, to each of the time masters a priority request frame requesting a priority that is set for the each of the time masters in advance, and 
 a management master highest priority processor to transmit, to the one of the time masters holding the priority that is highest among the priorities of the time masters, a highest priority notification frame for changing the priority of the one of the time masters to the highest priority, 
 
 each of the time masters includes
 a time master priority responder to transmit, after receiving the priority request frame from the management master when the time synchronization system starts operating, to the management master a priority response frame as a response including the priority stored in the each of the time masters, 
 a time master highest priority processor to change, when the highest priority notification frame is received from the management master, the priority of the one of the time masters to the highest priority that is to be held by a grandmaster, 
 
 the grandmaster transmits, when the time synchronization system starts operating, to each of the time masters other than the grandmaster, based on the time information held in the grandmaster, a time notification frame for synchronization of a time of the at least one of the time masters other than the grandmaster, and 
 after the time masters and the simple time masters execute the time synchronization with the time of the grandmaster, the one of the time masters that receives from the management master the highest priority notification frame changes, at a time when an additional time master or simple time master that holds a priority that is higher than any of the priorities of the time masters and the simple time masters is newly connected, the priority thereof to the highest priority to serve as the grandmaster. 
 
     
     
       5. A time master to hold time information, comprising:
 a time master priority responder to transmit, when a priority request frame requesting a priority that is set for the time master in advance is received, a priority response frame as a response including the priority; 
 a time master highest priority processor to change, when a highest priority notification frame is received, the priority to a highest priority; and 
 a time master best master clock algorithm (BMCA) processor to execute processing of comparing the priority of the time master and at least one priority acquired from at least one of another of the time master and selecting, as a grandmaster, a time master holding a priority that is highest among the priorities of the time master and the at least one of another of the time master, 
 wherein the time master (i) maintains the holding of the highest priority when an additional time master is added to a time synchronization system after the time synchronization system starts operating, the additional time master holding a priority higher than an original priority of the time master selected as the grandmaster and (ii) transmits, to the at least one of another of the time master, based on the time information held in the grandmaster, a time notification frame for synchronization of a time of the at least one of another of the time master. 
 
     
     
       6. A time synchronization method in a time synchronization system comprising time masters to hold time information and a management master to manage the time information and send, to one of the time masters, notification of a highest priority, the one of the time masters holding a priority that is highest among priorities of the time masters, the time synchronization method comprising:
 when the time synchronization system starts operating, transmitting by the management master to each of the time masters a priority request frame requesting a priority that is set for the each of the time masters in advance, 
 transmitting by the management master, to the one of the time masters holding the priority that is highest among the priorities of the time masters, a highest priority notification frame for changing the priority of the one of the time masters to the highest priority, 
 in response to each of the time masters receiving the priority request frame from the management master, transmitting by the each of the time masters to the management master a priority response frame as a response including the priority stored in the each of the time masters, 
 in response to the one of the time masters receiving the highest priority notification frame from the management master, changing, by the one of the time masters, the priority thereof to the highest priority, 
 comparing, by each of the time masters, the priority of the each of the time masters and the priority acquired from each of the time masters other than the each of the time masters and selecting, by the each of the time masters, as a grandmaster, the one of the time masters holding a priority that is highest among the priorities of the time masters, and 
 maintaining, by the one of the time masters selected as the grandmaster, the holding of the highest priority after the time synchronization system starts operating and transmitting, by the one of the time masters selected as the grandmaster, to each of the time masters other than the grandmaster, based on the time information held in the grandmaster, a time notification frame for synchronization of a time of the at least one of the time masters other than the grandmaster. 
 
     
     
       7. The time synchronization method according to  claim 6 , wherein
 the time synchronization system includes simple time masters, and 
 each of the simple time masters compares a priority of the each of the simple time masters and the priorities acquired from the time masters and a simple time master other than the each of the simple time masters and transmits the time notification frame. 
 
     
     
       8. The time synchronization method according to  claim 7 , wherein the priorities that are set for the simple time masters are higher than the priorities that are set for the time masters. 
     
     
       9. The time synchronization method according to  claim 8 , further comprising:
 transmitting, to the one of the time masters that holds a priority that is highest among the priorities of the time masters, the highest priority notification frame, and 
 when an additional time master or simple time master that holds a priority higher than the priorities of the time masters and the simple time masters is newly connected to the time synchronization system, changing by the one of the time masters that receives the highest priority notification frame the priority thereof to the highest priority that is to be held by the grandmaster.